Emerald Street starts from the intersection with the Union Drive West in Castle Garden City and begins travelling East. As it travels along this first block it briefly enters the Suffolk district, crossing over the intersection with Liberty Lane before passing through into Little Italy. The street here travels directly behind the Liberty City Hall. The street crosses by Brown Place on the left, a small, cobbled Italian side street and then intersects with Denver Ave. The next intersection, Columbus Avenue, marks the transition into Chinatown, where the street bypasses the Videogeddon Arcade, a mission location used in the mission Ruff Rider. The street intersects with a number of major and minor roads in Chinatown, including Wong Way, Bismarck Ave, Luddite Row, Albany Ave and Borlock Road. The street makes extends its final block in the Fishmarket South district terminating at the junction with Privateer Road underneath the Union Drive East.

There are two subway stations located along the length of Emerald Street, the first being Feldspar LTA Station located at the Western edge of the street at the intersection of Emerald Street and Union Drive West in Castle Garden City. The second station, Emerald Station, is situated further East, along the northern edge of the Chinatown district, between the intersections of Luddite Row and Albany Ave. Both of these stations are on the Algonquin Outer Line.